Bag the bag..

Assalamualaikum.

Ireland pathed the way in Europe, taxing plastic bags in 2002 and have now reduce plastic bag consumption by 90%.

Australia closely followed, by charging 10 cents for plastic bags from supermarkets and retail outlets.

China has banned free plastic bags.

In 2005, Rwanda banned plastic bags.

Bangladesh has banned plastic bags.

On March 27th 2007, San Fransisco became the first U.S state to ban the use of plastic bags. Oakland and Boston are considering a ban.

Israel, Canada, western India, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Taiwan have also banned or are moving toward banning the plastic bag.

Malaysia?

"KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 -- The Government does not intend to impose charges for plastic bags from supermarkets or retail outlets although it recognizes that these bags pose a threat to the environment and hamper efforts to inculcate the recycling mentality among the people" - Bernama

Haa, i know what are all the Malaysians thinking now. It goes something a bit like this:

"Tu la Government Malaysia ni, da tahu benda tu tak bagus untuk environment tapi tak buat apa-apa pon leii. Tengok la negara-negara lain, even third world countries macam Rwanda pon dah ban plastic bags tau. Huh." - in classic rojak style ofcourse >_<

Now before all of us go around high-five-ing eachother, think again. Do we really need to wait for a ban?

It starts with us.

Kalau pergi pasar tu, bawak la beg siap-siap. Whenever we plan to go shopping for anything, anywhere, just bring along a bag with you. And for us girls, most of us already have handbags, casually chilling on our shoulders. I have a reusable and fold-able bag in my handbag and also tucked away in a hidden zipped pocket, i have a spare plastic bag for whenever i need it.

Even if you've forgotten to bring one with you, try to reduce the number of plastic bags you use by not asking for another when purchasing your next item. Now, I've done this more than a couple of times. However, whenever i refuse any sort of packaging, the counter staff or salesperson looks at me and either give a little chuckle or ask me why i don't want a plastic bag. Most of the time, after i give them a short one sentence response, they nod their heads and comply to my request, all the while still sniggering. These instances did tick me off at first, but now I've become accustomed to it and usually leave without a second thought. Unfortunately, not all my encounters end in such ways.

I was paying for a take-away lunch at the counter of a restaurant i frequently visit and a conversation took place between the Pakcik and I, it went something like this:

Pakcik was reaching for a plastic bag behind his counter.
Me: Oh, tak apa la pakcik. tak payah plastic.
Pakcik: Ha. Kenapa tak nak? *surprised expression with eyebrows raised*
Me: tak apa lah pakcik, saya tak nak.
Pakcik: Ha. Tak apa pulak, amek je la. Nah...

He proceeded to put my packed lunch in a plastic bag, giving a little chuckle and shaking his head. I wasn't in best of moods that day and i thought to myself, "Were u just born yesterday? Macam la tak tahu kenapa.", but i just smiled and tried to stop him as best i could while being polite.
Me: Tak apa lah pakcik, saya tak perlu.
Pakcik: Tak perlu? Kan lebih senang nak bawak.
Me: Tak apa, saya pegang je. Saya boleh bawak.
Pakcik: Haha. Kesian awak nanti. Apa lah awak ni. Haha.

I tried to not to get irritated but other thoughts crept into my mind, "Kesian? Kalau orang cacat tu boleh la kesian. Do i look that retarded to you?". I just continued to smile and reached for my packed lunch from within the plastic bag, leaving the plastic on the table.
Pakcik: Nanti kalau terlepas kang, ha, nasi beterabuh kat tengah jalan nanti, heh. *his chuckle not so little anymore*
Me: tak apa, saya pegang guna dua tangan.

I tried to leave but he seemed determined to diss me.
Pakcik: Kalau terjatuh nanti?
"Kalau jatuh tu, nasib la. Sapa suruh tak berjaga-jaga. Kalau jatuh masuk longkang tergolek-golek pon, nasi tu tak akan terselamat kalau dalam plastic beg pon.", i thought to myself.
Me: InsyaAllah tak jatuh.

I walked away but i could feel his eyes on me and heard him dissing me behind my back to his workers.


Be patient with those who are ignorant or act ignorant. Start with yourself first and hope that others will follow. We can't stop the world from producing plastic bags, but we can reduce the demand for it. Just do what we can, save a lil' here, save a lil' there, whenever you can.

Assalamualaikum...